While it never quite achieves Muhammad Ali-like greatness, Knockout Kings 2000 is nonetheless an excellent boxing game for both the enthusiast and the casual gamer. Fifty boxing legends from the past and present are featured in this EA Sports title, along with world-famous arenas and TV-style coverage. In addition to being able to set up your own fights in the standard exhibition mode, you can play out nine of the greatest boxing matches in history in the game's classic mode. And for those interested in less realism and more pugilism, slugfest mode offers over-the-top, arcade-style boxing. The real crowd pleaser here is Knockout Kings 2000's career mode. Choosing from a wide variety of options, you get to create your own custom boxer, who can fight his way to the top in career mode or participate in exhibition and slugfest matches. Before career fights, customized boxers can be improved by training, or playing various mini-games. (A memory card is required to save custom boxer data.) What robs Knockout Kings 2000 of the championship belt is its unbalanced 3-D graphics. The boxers look great and move fluidly, but everything else appears flat and unfinished. Thankfully, fast game speed and responsive controls clamp down on the sightseeing, which is one sure-fire way to end up KO'd. --Joe Hon Pros: Can create your own custom boxer Features realistic and arcade-style boxing Fast game speed and responsive controls Optional 1-button mode for those who don't want to memorize controls Cons: Except for the boxers, graphics aren't very pretty